Gasquet Saves Two Match Points, 19 Break Points In Lyon Thriller

  • Posted: May 20, 2019

Gasquet Saves Two Match Points, 19 Break Points In Lyon Thriller

Seventh seed Herbert also moves on

Former World No. 7 Richard Gasquet saved two match points on Monday to reach the second round of the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Lyon, battling past his French countryman Maxime Janvier, a qualifier, 6-7(5), 6-2, 7-6(2) after two hours and 44 minutes. Gasquet saved 19 of the 22 break points he faced in the match.

“It was very tough. He’s a good player. He’s very powerful, he played well, he served good. So of course it was very tough for me,” Gasquet said. “But I tried my best. It’s only my fourth match in 2019 so of course it’s tough for me, but I’ll try to recover as soon as I can. And of course I tried my best and it’s great for me to win.”

The 32-year-old, who underwent groin surgery in January and only played three matches this year before his win against Janvier, will face American Taylor Fritz for a spot in the quarter-finals. Fritz didn’t face a break point in a 7-5, 7-6(3) win over qualifier Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic in one hour and 38 minutes.

“I’ll have to recover well and we will see,” Gasquet said. “Of course I’m a little bit tired now.”

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Seventh seed Pierre-Hugues Herbert continued his strong form on the spring European clay-court swing when he lost just five of his first-service points in a 6-2, 7-5 victory over fellow Frenchman Jeremy Chardy. 

Herbert, who advanced to the recent Hungarian Open semi-finals (l. to Krajinovic), will next play American Steve Johnson, who was a 6-2, 7-6(2) winner over South African lucky loser Lloyd Harris in just over 90 minutes. Harris gained his spot in the main draw when Slovakian Martin Klizan withdrew due to stomach problems.

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France’s Ugo Humbert, who is currently at a career-high No. 61 in the ATP Rankings, swept past last year’s semi-finalist Cameron Norrie 6-1, 6-3 in 66 minutes. He will next challenge third-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.

French lucky loser Tristan Lamasine, who gained entry to the main draw when Mikhail Kukushkin withdrew due to right shoulder pain, took advantage of his opportunity by defeating #NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner, a 17-year-old, 6-0, 7-6(5). Canadian qualifier Steven Diez led Bernard Tomic 6-4, 4-1 when the Aussie retired due to illness.

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